Romanian Romance
by marauderX
Summary: Tommy Lewis has been sent to Romania for a month with her two best friends/co-workers Jensen and Ally, for an exclusive story on the dragons and their researchers. Photographer by trade, Tommy slowly starts to fall for the red- and hotheaded Charlie Weasley. But when her month is up, will Tommy stay with Charlie, or will she go back to Canada with only memories?
1. Of Ridgebacks and Redheads

**A.N.: So I've recently noticed there were hardly any Charlie W./OC fics, and because my friend Jess absolutely loves the Weasleys, I decided to write one. Suggestions welcome, and I hope you like it!**

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"Okay, so we're entering the wilderness pen. This is, in all essence, a very large, magically enforced pen. We do have actual cages for the dragons we are currently tagging, but we will only be bypassing them today. The dragons in there are a little too aggressive today. We will, however, have you all be a part of the tagging we are planning in two days." The tour guide kept walking as I looked around. This place was amazing! "Now, we _will_ be walking by these cages in a few moments, so please stay quiet and don't frighten the dragons that we ha – CHARLIE WEASLEY! WHAT ARE YOU DOING IN THAT CAGE?!"

My eyes bugged out of my head as I saw a redheaded, stocky boy in one of the iron cages. A dragon – a Norwegian Ridgeback to be precise – was in front of him, seemingly studying him. And he seemed to be doing the same thing.

"CHARLIE!" The tour guide shrieked again and ran over to the cage, quickly opening the cage with a swish of her wand.

I looked around at the rest of my tour group. Jensen was shocked at the sudden abandonment of the guide, Ally was furiously scribbling in her note pad but the others seemed unperturbed. What, is this the norm around here? When Alec told Jensen, Ally and I to go to Romania for a one month story, I had no idea we would be staying in a place where workers voluntarily walked into cages with dragons.

Grabbing the camera from around my neck, I snapped a few shots of the redhead and the dragon. But as the tour guide – what was her name again? – got into the shot, all hell broke loose. The dragon caught sight of her and roared, its tail whishing around. It had looked scary beforehand, with spikes all over it and teeth that could rip a man in half, but now it was terrifying. I kept looking through the lens of my camera at the sight before me, but as I caught the flicker of fire, I dropped it, letting it dangle from the strap around my neck.

The dragon was _frea_ king out, shrieking and breathing fire like nothing I've ever seen before. I ripped the camera off my neck and threw it at Jensen, hoping to Merlin he'd catch it. Of course, Jensen would never let my baby fall. I'd kill him, even if I _was_ the one to throw it. Running to the cage, I saw the tour guide and the redhead brandishing their wands and trying to overwhelm the dragon. While they were doing an exceptional job, this particular dragon was nuts.

As I ran towards the cage, I pulled out my wand and unlocked the door. Rushing inside, I stopped as I surveyed the situation. The tour guide and the redhead were trying to hit the dragon's eyes to stop the beast from aiming at them, but the actual fire made it hard for they themselves to aim. I looked around quickly and grinned as I saw a coil of rope in a forgotten corner of the cage. Grabbing it, I ran over to the two dragon researchers. The redhead looked over at me as I crouched beside them behind a large rock.

"Distract it," I said, running to the right.

I didn't look back to see what they would do, but as the dragon turned away from me, I assumed they did what I told them to. As I crept up on the dragon, I saw the burly redhead trying to get its attention – and succeeding. Hurrying, I made my way to its tail and grabbed hold of some of the grooves. Thank Merlin I didn't wear my heels today. As the dragon swished the tail, I felt my grip loosen but I held tight.

Climbing as fast as I could, I made my way to its back and grabbed the spikes that were there. That was easier. Having put the rope over my shoulder, I now only had my wand to deal with, but I had put it in my mouth. Now, I climbed up to the dragon's neck and wrapped my legs around some of the spikes there. I _really_ didn't want to fall off. I didn't know how the Romanian Dragon Reserve went about the deaths of Canadian reporters, but I had a feeling it wouldn't be very well received.

Grabbing my wand out of my mouth, I took the coil of rope off my shoulder. Waving my wand, I saw the rope spring up and gently slide itself around the Ridgeback's neck. As it came back around, I made it slowly creep up its face until I flicked my wand and the rope tied itself around the dragon's mouth twice. Tightening it, the dragon's mouth snapped shut and the fiery ambush stopped. Using my wand to tie a knot in the rope, I slid down the dragon's back until I got to a point where I could easily jump off.

Doing so, I landed hard and did a summersault. Standing up, I brushed some sand off of my blazer, noticing that the button had ripped off. Damn! I rolled my eyes and put my wand back in my pocket. Walking away from the dragon, I found my way to the cage door and opened it. Sauntering over to the wide-eyed group, I smirked and grabbed my camera from Jensen.

"What the bloody hell was that?" I turned around and saw the redhead storming towards me. "You didn't have to do anything. We had it covered!"

I snorted. "Sure looked like it…"

"And what's that supposed to mean?" He asked, his nostrils flaring.

"It means that you needed help, and I just happened to help out a bit."

"Just because you're some dragon tamer from the United States doesn't give you any right to–"

I cut him off, putting my hand near his mouth to shush him. "Let's get some things straight. First, I'm from Canada. Second, I'm not a dragon tamer. I'm a journalist. Third, you needed any help you could get. _Don't_ make me regret saving your pansy ass."

He glared at me and I glared back. We stood there for a few seconds before I saw the tour guide come back out of the corner of my eye, her hair dishevelled and her outfit a little scorched along the edges. Jensen shot me a look as the group continued on away from the cage. I gave the redhead one last look of contempt and then gave him an innocent smile.

"Smile for the camera," I said in a falsetto, lifting the camera and snapping a picture of him.

The flash made him jump back and as I walked away, I felt his eyes on me. He wanted to stare? Fine. I'd give him something to stare at. Swinging my hips from side to side, I flicked my hair over my shoulder and gave a quick glance behind me. He was still staring so I waggled my fingers and winked. As I approached the group, Jensen raised an eyebrow at me, as did Ally.

"What?" I said, brushing a strand of blonde hair away from my face. "He's kinda cute."


	2. Of Dresses and Decisions

We were supposed to be going down for a Welcome To Romania dinner, but I had found trouble with my wardrobe. Nothing seemed to work. Normally, I'd be able to throw something on and hope it worked out, but now that I was in Romania, I was overthinking _everything_.

"Oh, just pick something, Tom," Ally finally said.

I gave her a harsh look. "I'm a journalist from out of the country. I have to represent the Toronto Owler well."

"You always represent the T.O. well. So well, in fact, you've got the editor wrapped around your pinky finger." She raised her eyebrow suggestively.

"Alec is _not_ wrapped around my pinky finger. We're friends and nothing else. I know that, he knows that, everyone knows that. And even if he did like me, he will always keep our relationship strictly professional."

"Sure," Ally said, not sounding sure in the least. "And put on the white dress. It's classy, sexy and gorgeous."

I sighed and took the white dress from out of my suitcase. It _was_ extremely gorgeous. I had gotten it at Fashion Week while doing a cover story on an undercover witch designer.

The sleeves were sheer, a few inches from my shoulders. The torso was a more opaque material, covered in small white flowers. The skirt went just above my knees, a soft, flowing material that didn't stick to my skin, but wasn't too billowing.

As I slipped it on, I sighed as the soft fabric kissed my skin. Ally was right. I couldn't possibly overthink this dress. Smiling, I looked at myself in a mirror and began to straighten my hair. Going down to my jawline, my normally curly hair went just to my shoulders when I straightened it. Putting in small pearl earrings, I began on my face. Quickly putting on tinted moisturizer, I put on liquid eyeliner and the faintest amount of pink eye shadow.

Putting on mascara, I grabbed my gold polka-dot clutch and my blue pumps. Slipping on my diamond, dragon-shaped ring, I used my wand to paint my nails in a red polish. Putting on lipstick of the same colour, I pushed Ally aside to look in the mirror. My eyes looked extra blue and the overall effect was stunning. I was ready for the Romanians.

Grabbing my camera from one of the bedside tables, I shoved it in my clutch – undetectable extension charms were _fabulous_. Looking over at Ally in her floor length, strapless navy gown, I smiled. Her hair was pulled back in a fancy bun and the purple eye shadow/liquid eyeliner combo she used really made her green eyes pop. The dark red of her lipstick was stunning, and the new curl in her ebony hair played up her cheekbones. She looked hot.

"Ready?"

She smiled. "As I'll ever be!"

"Should we go over to Jensen's room to see how he's coming along?" I saw her cheeks flare and gasped. "You like Jensen? Supervisor-slash-photographer-slash-Healer-slash-writer Jensen?"

Her cheeks reddened even more until they almost match her lipstick shade. "Only a little." Then her face fell. "You won't tell him, will you?"

"Of course not!" I said, flabbergasted she would ever think I would. "What happens between you and Jensen is your business."

Ally smirked at me. "Just like everything between you and Alec is your business?"

I frowned. "Nothing is happening with Alec and me. Although, if I have it my way, something might start up between me and that redhead.

Ally giggled. "He was pretty cute, wasn't he?"

"Yeah," I said, smiling. "Hopefully it won't take a month to grab his attention."

Ally laughed. "Honey, if he doesn't notice you tonight, he's either taken or he's gay."

I laughed and hugged her. "Thanks Ally!"

"No problem," she said, hugging me back. Pulling away from me, she gave me a devilish look. "Now what should I do about Jensen?"


	3. Of Dinners and Dances

I was dancing with one of the Romanians who had black hair and dark eyes. He was the epitome of tall, dark and handsome. His hand on my back was strong and warm. Had this been at another place, in another time, I may have been truly interested in him. But the one guy I wanted to dance with was sitting next to Jensen and Ally, who were currently in possession of my clutch.

The redheaded Weasley boy – was his name Charles? – had quickly become almost like an obsession to me. Ever since we had walked in, every pair of male eyes was on me – except for his (and Jensen's). I had danced with over half of the guys here, but he had yet to even glance in my direction. Now don't get me wrong, I don't like too much attention (and with my curves, I do get a lot of it), but I would have loved if he could have looked over and I could have seen his eyes widen in disbelief.

I know I'm not ugly – if my many, _many_ potential suitors could ever let me forget how beautiful I am – but the approval of this hard-headed, strange boy was weighing heavily on me. When the song finally ended, I thanked TD &H and made my way over to Ally, Jensen and the Weasley boy.

"Hey all!" I said brightly as I sat down next to Ally, two down from the frustrating redhead.

Ally and Jensen looked up and greeted me, but Weasley didn't. I frowned. If he was going to play it cool like that, I would use the patented Tommy Lewis pick up scheme.

"So, it's Charles, isn't it?" I asked, staring right at him.

He glanced up and then back down again. "Yeah, but I prefer Charlie."

"Well then, _Charlie_ ," I said coyly, "how do you like being a dragon researcher?"

"I thought you were a photographer," he said coldly, standing up and walking away.

I looked to Jensen in confusion. He shrugged his shoulders and looked at Ally. She turned to me and patted me on the shoulder.

"I'll be right back," I said through clenched teeth.

Storming over to Charlie, who was now talking to one of his co-workers, I put on my cutest smile. His co-worker saw me and his jaw dropped.

"Hello, I was wondering if Charlie here could do me the honor of dancing with me," I said, turning to the redhead.

His brown eyes finally met mine and he looked at me with disdain. His co-worker on the other hand shot him a dirty look.

"Fine," Charlie said brusquely.

Taking me by the arm, he tugged me onto the dance floor. Putting one hand on my waist and grabbing my right one in his left, he led me as the song continued to play. Trying to catch his eye, I was getting frustrated as he seemed determined not to look anywhere but me.

"Well, aren't you a _charmer_ , Charlie Weasley," I said, not even trying to contain my sarcasm.

He looked at me in surprise. "You're the one who asked me."

I frowned at him. "Ever since earlier today, you seem to hate me. We've barely spoken, yet you've already made up your mind about me."

"Yeah, because I've never met your kind before," he muttered.

"Ex _cuse_ me?"

He looked up, seemingly surprised that I heard him. "Yeah, you know, the girly-girl than never wants to get dirty. Would rather give up her heels than go camping for the weekend. You're more concerned with fashion and the latest trends than world problems."

I glared at him. "I saved your punk ass earlier today! I'm pretty sure I wasn't worried about my clothes then."

"Yeah, well you aren't helping your case now," he sneered, looking down at my outfit.

"You know nothing about me," I hissed, tightening my grip on his hand. "All you know is that I can wrangle a dragon with a wand and some rope and I clean up pretty damn well. You're so judgemental. I don't know why I ever thought you were cute."

He perked up at that. "You think I'm cute?"

" _Thought_. But your asshole tendencies sort of diminish your cuteness. Now I'm staying for the month because I'm the best photographer my editor knows, and I'm not about to disappoint him. Unless you have something important for my story, don't bother talking to me again."

With that, I took my hand out of his grasp and pulled his other one off my waist. Walking away from him, I found my way back to Ally and Jensen. As soon as I plopped down next to Jensen, he smiled gratefully.

"Thank Merlin! I didn't want to leave your clutch unattended," Jensen said, grabbing Ally's hand and pulling her up.

Ally herself beamed at me. "Can you watch mine now?"

I nodded and her smile grew – if that was possible. I tried to smile at them as they made their way to the dance floor, but it was sort of a grimace. As I watched them have fun – and don't get me wrong, I loved that they were having fun – I wasn't having a good time. As I ordered a few shots of fire whiskey from one of the waiters in white coats, someone sat down beside me. It was the tour guide from earlier today.

"Hi!" She said brightly. "I'm Jenny, if you've forgotten. How're you doing?"

I smiled at her – genuinely this time. "Tamara. But I prefer Tommy. And I'm decent."

"Decent? What's up?"

Her question was answered – or not so answered – by the six shot glasses that were placed in front of us by the aforementioned waiter. I thanked him and he walked off. Jenny gave me a look.

"Bottoms up?" She asked. I nodded and we slammed them back. She shivered and grimaced. "So six shots, huh? What's got your wand in a knot?"

I studied her for a moment, letting my fingers feather the edge of one of the glasses. She seemed nice enough. And she hadn't hesitated when faced with that moron Charlie in the Ridgeback's cage. Staring at the shot glasses between my fingers, I suddenly slammed it back and shuddered. Looking over at Jenny, I smiled.

"What can you tell me about Charlie Weasley?"


	4. Of Reasons and Realizations

"So he's _not_ an arrogant ass?"

I rolled my eyes as Jensen and Ally lay on Ally's bed, staring at me as I flipped through my photo book. "No, he is an arrogant ass, but there's a reason."

"Having his fiancée leave him a day before the official meeting of the parents and _dévoilement_ of the engagement shouldn't be enough to turn him into a fashion guru-slash-girly girl hating, arrogant ass." I gave Jensen a look. "Okay, okay, maybe it is. But he shouldn't take it out on you."

I rolled my eyes again. "Well yeah, but it's not as if it's his fault. It certainly isn't mine, but it also isn't his. I remind him of the first girl he ever really loved and the first girl who crushed his heart."

Ally smiled and grabbed Jensen's hand. "Oh, Tommy's got a little crush. Even if it has only been a day."

I blushed furiously. "I just think he's really cute. There's nothing wrong with that!"

" _And_ he's broken. And we all know Tommy can't help herself around guys who need to be put back together," Jensen said, playing with Ally's fingers.

I glared at him and he stuck his tongue out at me. I sighed and turned away from them, studying the photo book a little better. Only my absolute favorite photos made it into this book. All my others were in a larger book that I had left at home. But as I flipped through, I couldn't help but smile at the photos. There was one of a bride and a groom, the sun behind them illuminating their silhouettes as they twirled.

Another was of Alec, working at his desk. When he looked up at the lens, he had looked down straight away, going back to his work. His black hair shined in the lighting and even though they were far away, his brown eyes sparkled. I thought back to what Ally had said.

As I studied the photo, I realized that his cheeks had begun to redden when he realized I was there, and that I thought was him working was actually him glancing over the same paper over and over again, discreetly looking up at me every few seconds, his quill moving only slightly.

How stupid was I, I asked myself, if I couldn't even realize that my editor clearly had a crush on me, even when it was staring me right in the face?

But I wasn't about to admit that to anyone, especially Ally or Jensen. Shaking my head, I flipped the page. A gorgeous photo of what seemed to be a sunset stared back at me from the page. I smiled as I waited for what I knew would happen.

A small golden blur raced across the photo and a second later, an undiscernible blob raced across as well. The blob froze in the middle of the photo though, and the handsome, well-cut face of the Bulgarian seeker Viktor Krum stared to the left of the image

That was one of my top five photos. As I flipped the page again, I saw my absolute favorite photo. It wasn't even technically my photo. Jensen had taken my camera one day and snapped a shot of me.

I was sitting on a veranda, staring off into the distance. At the sound of the camera, I had turned and my eyes looked straight out at, well, me. The startling blue of my irises amazed even me. I pulled the photograph out of the protective plastic covering and looked at it some more. My curly blonde hair framed my face beautifully and the worn-down white jean jacket and shimmering blue shirt emphasized my tan skin and piercing eyes. With this photo, I could easily see why people told me I was gorgeous. Why they were surprised that I would rather be behind the camera. Sighing, I placed the photo back in my book and closed it.

"Okay, I think it's time we go down and do actual work guys." Not hearing an answer, I placed my photo book down on my bedside table and turned around. Jensen and Ally were playing tonsil hockey. "Oh, gross!" I giggled and threw a pillow at them. "Get a room!"

Jensen smiled and pulled away from Ally. "Where do you think we were last night?"

"Jensen!" Ally exclaimed, her cheeks reddening.

I laughed as Ally gave Jensen a disapproving look. Although they seemed to be rushing into this relationship, I couldn't have been happier for them. And as we all laughed in the rinky-dinky Romanian hotel room, I also couldn't have been happier for me. I was so lucky to not only have my dream job, but also so lucky that the people I worked with were my very best friends.


	5. Of Rooftops and Relaxation

It had been five days since we arrived in Romania and I was having the time of my life. Romania's beautiful sunrises and the gorgeous scenery made for beautiful photos. Jensen and Ally had been talking to some of the researchers all week and a small portion of the piece was close to being finished.

But my job had just started. I was looking forward to getting out into the pen again and taking photos of the dragons themselves, up close and personal. But for that, I needed a special permit. And they promised me it would take at least a week before the permit would be approved. So I stayed in my hotel room most days, standing on the patio and taking photos. It was boring to say the least.

But it was either that or hanging around Ally and Jensen, trying to pretend that I was having fun without my camera. But with the first day having gone by in a blur what with the tour and then the dinner, and the second day going by slowly as I realized that trailing after Ally and Jensen sucks, it had been two days stuck in a musty hotel room. I was tired of it.

Sighing, I slipped on a pair of dark skinny jeans and a colourful tank top, complete with my favorite jacket – a black faux-leather number with white cotton sleeves. Putting on my favorite black Converse, I grabbed my camera and shoved it into a small, over-the-shoulder, electric blue purse that matched my eyes. Looking in the mirror, I swiped some mascara onto my eyelashes. Ally always told me that if I was ever leaving the house – or in this case, the hotel room – to at least put on mascara. Tousling my already perfect golden curls, I left the room.

But not by the door.

Climbing onto the balcony railing, I held on tight to the side of the hotel wall and began to climb. Stuffing my fingers into small little grooves and nicks in the caulking and bricks, I made my way up to the roof. Pushing myself up, I straddled the angle of the roof and held tight. As soon as I became completely comfortable, I jumped up and balanced on the angle as a tight-rope walker might balance on a rope. Although, the roof was much thicker and more stable than a coil of rope, so maybe not the same way.

I pulled my camera out of my purse and walked over to sit on the rectangular chimney. Hoping to Merlin there wasn't too much soot on the chimney, I took the lens cap off and looked through the camera. The sky was gorgeous. I snapped a few candid shots, but a harsh light to my right made me look over. Another burst of fire leapt through the trees and the glimpse of a dragon made me focus the camera on that spot.

Sure enough, a dragon slowly made its way through the trees. Its large wings held it aloft and I snapped a few photographs of it. Laughing as it began to twirl in the air, I put the neck strap on and let the camera dangle in front of me.

The dragon was gorgeous, with blue scales and yellow skin. The fire illuminated the sky, smoke creating a beautiful silhouette for the dragon. But as I watched, another dragon joined the first. Brown scales and orange skin made this one seem like firewood as it shot flame after flame into the air around the first dragon.

The two twirled around some more and as they begun to circle each other, I grabbed my camera and took a photograph, reveling in the beauty of the beasts. Sighing, I lowered myself until my back was against the chimney stack and sat there, watching the dragons until the sun went down.


	6. Of Trees and Tumbles

Creeping up on one of the dragons, I quickly snapped a photo. My first day in the dragon pen was more than I could ever imagine. Tiptoeing away from the Chinese Fireball I had just photographed, I felt my back press up against a tree trunk. Perfect. Smiling and stashing my camera in my electric blue purse, I grabbed hold of one of the lowest branches and hoisted myself up. Grabbing the tree trunk, I pulled myself onto another branch and stood up.

Climbing through the trees, I managed to find a large encampment of the beasts, laying about. As my eyes widened, I fumbled around with my purse until I finally got my camera out. Finding a sturdy branch, I slowly made my way down. Straddling it, I shuffled forward, and once I got near the end, I pulled my legs to one side and lowered myself down so that I was hanging upside down. Snapping a few shots, I stared out through my lens.

One dragon had something underneath its wing and was currently nudging it. Hopeful, I focused on that one. Having stayed in one position for a few minutes, my legs began to cramp up and I slowly tried to move them around. But as the dragon began to move, I stilled. Focusing even more intently, I was just about to take a picture when…

"What the bloody hell are you doing?"

I stiffened, not prepared for the interruption, and then suddenly lost my grip on the branch. Yelping, I saw the ground racing towards me and instinctively held my camera to my stomach, curling my body around it protectively. My head slammed into the ground and my neck strained as my back hit next. I groaned as my legs slammed into the rock hard ground.

"Oh bloody - I'm so sorry. I didn't realize you'd fall over."

I uncurled my body and held up my camera, hoping to Merlin that none of it cracked. Satisfied that no part of it was damaged, I looked up at the intruder. And then I frowned.

"What are you doing here, Charlie?" I asked suspiciously.

He shrugged and offered me a hand. "I saw you lurking around and decided to follow you."

I stared at his hand for a second before grabbing it and allowing him to help me up. Wincing as my neck and back straightened out, I ran a hand through my curls and then let it stay at my neck, rubbing the sore spot. Charlie gave me a concerned look.

"Strain your neck there, Lewis?"

I glared at him, but made sure to keep the corners of my mouth turned up just a bit. "Yeah. Some ass startled me and I fell out of a tree."

He, in turn, smiled. "Well, I wasn't the nutter hanging from a tree."

I smiled back at him. "Excuse me, I was using my artistic integrity to get photographs that only a handful of people could ever dream about capturing. Don't insult my artistic process." I pretended to twirl a mustache as I put on my best French accent.

"Well, now that you've said that, I have to see these so called amazing photos," he said, laughing at my horrible attempt at a French accent (hey, I'm not French!).

I laughed hesitantly. "Why aren't you ignoring me like before, Charlie?" I was never known to be subtle when confronting people.

He ran a hand through his hair and gave me a nervous look. "Jenny talked to me. Told me I was being I right prat for being so rude to you. And I kind of realized you weren't the type of girl I thought you were."

"And when exactly did you figure that out?"

"The day I saw you climb your hotel. And even more so today when I saw you hanging upside down from a tree."

I blushed. "You saw the hotel climbing?"

"Hard not to when you're put on dragon watch and the watch tower enables you to see the entire east side of that specific hotel. What's with you and climbing by the way?"

"What do you mean?" I asked, walking over to the trunk of the tree I had fallen out of.

"Well," he started as I began to look for low branches and grooves in the trunk, "the first time I saw you, you climbed up a dragon's back. Then, I saw you climb up the side of a building. Just now, I saw you climb a tree and then find your way through this humongous pen, using only the trees."

I shrugged and then grabbed a branch, hoisting myself up. "My dad was a mountain climber. Taught me when I was young. Useful skill, let me tell you."

I looked down at him as I stood up on the branch, rolling the sleeves of my pinstripe shirt up and allowing my bracelets to dangle along my forearm. He stared up at me with a smile on his face, running a hand through his hair.

"Well I'll see you later then, Lewis?"

I smiled and lifted myself onto another branch. "I'll be sure to drop by."

His laugh made me giggle and as I threaded my way through the branches. Step one of the Tommy Lewis pick up scheme was complete: I got his attention.


End file.
